The word “akathist” is of Greek origin; “akathistos khimnos” literally means “unseated singing”. This is the name of the solemn doxologies in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, Angels and saints, to which Christians usually listen while standing. Almost all akathists in this collection were written in Church Slavonic in different centuries, most often by clergy, and sometimes by pious laymen. The names of the authors are usually not indicated. Gradually, the authors Russified the Church Slavonic spelling, which explains the absence of a unified spelling system in the akathists. in the form in which they have reached us. The last, thanksgiving akathist is already written in Russian. Akathists are one of the most beloved prayers of Russian Christians, and we gladly meet the wish expressed by many of them: to have the texts of the akathists in order to be able to not only to attend their reading in church, which is now inaccessible to many, but also to use them for joint reading at home: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Although we are asked to publish individual akathists, we prefer to combine in one collection all the akathists we have, both widespread and little-known, so that the grains of spiritual beauty collected in them are not lost, but serve to glorify our God and His saints.< /p>